


For Science

by pencilguin



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, Moving In Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22759945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pencilguin/pseuds/pencilguin
Summary: [spoilers for S2]Paul is getting released from sickbay, and he and Hugh make a decision about their rooming situation going forward.
Relationships: Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	For Science

**Author's Note:**

> This is not beta read, so I apologize for any mistakes.

“So I’m officially all healed up?”

“All healed up.”

“Safe to leave?”

A smile. “Whenever you feel like it.”

Paul returns it. “In that case, I’ll make room for new patients.”

He slips off the biobed and stands up. Hugh lingers at his side.

“Actually, you were my last patient for today. Can I walk you home?”

The nervous smile accompanying these words sparks warmth in his chest.

“I’d love that.”

Hugh doesn’t need to, but he still locks arms with Paul, even though they both know that he can walk on his own by now just fine.

“Home…” Paul says pensively as they exit sickbay and walk down the corridors. “You know, I was thinking. Now that we’re here in the future and reduced to a minimal crew, a lot of space has freed up.” He makes them pause in the hallway to find the right words. “You said… You want to try again. Us, together. And I understand that you have gone through things and you have changed, and — and I guess _I_ have changed, too. So, instead of trying to go back to the life we had before, how about we transfer to some new quarters to start fresh? I mean… Our old ones carry a lot of memories, and maybe that’s not what we need now, for this completely new future… together.”

Hugh’s expression is open as he considers his words. “That’s not a bad idea. Did you have any particular ones in mind?”

“I talked to Saru and he gave me a list of all available living quarters. He says they’re all up for grabs for any crew members who wish to change their accommodations.” He walks over to the public computer terminal on the wall next to the nearest turbolift. Hugh follows along, still not letting go of his arm. He watches Paul type a few commands into the console and pull up a list of free living quarters on the ship, filtered for double bedrooms. After studying the list together for a few minutes, they quickly settle on a common favorite.

“Let’s go and take a look right away?” Hugh suggests with a little smile. The excitement is clear on his face, and completely adorable.

“Of course.”

Using the turbolift, they get to the right deck and find the place in no time. Hugh opens the door for them and they step inside into the main room. Paul gasps a little, stunned, and looks around.

The drastically reduced crew that stayed aboard the Discovery as it jumped into the future meant that a lot of quarters, including the bigger ones, have freed up. And now that Hugh has been officially promoted to CMO, they won’t even have to feel all that guilty about picking some fancy, almost a little luxurious ones. Because this place is _big_. Since it’s been abandoned, the cleaning bots, following their standard protocols, have also moved most of the mobile furniture to line up against the walls, making the room look even bigger and emptier. Paul almost believes he can hear the “Wow” that escapes him make a tiny echo.

Hugh’s arm finally slips out of his, and he takes a few slow steps towards the center, looking around with a hint of awe. “The floor plan didn’t do this justice. It’s _cozy_ , and there isn’t even anything in it yet.”

He crosses the room, glancing out the large windows that reveal the vast, endless space outside floating by, which Paul knows are continued in the adjacent bedroom on the same side. He can feel himself blush slightly as the thought of watching the stars from their bed leads to the realization that he’ll get to share it with Hugh again… eventually. He doesn’t dare to think that far ahead yet; there’s still a lot of readjustment to be done between them, relearning to be together in every way that they had been before. Hugh’s fingers trace over the countertop in the kitchen corner — they’ve actually got their own replicator in here, but Paul can’t fight the excitement at the prospect of cooking for Hugh again — them cooking _together_ again, whenever they find the time for it.

Following Hugh’s example, he, too, starts to wander around. The sofa _does_ look cozy, and something about the layout of the place makes it feel a lot less sterile and suffocating than any spaceship quarters he’s used to. With a few personal touches, this could become a true home. Reaching the entrance towards the bathroom, he stops and peeks inside. Fond memories of standing side by side return to him, starting or ending their day brushing their teeth together. His chest aches from how much he’s missed that. Looking around he notices that not only do they now have a really nice, slightly bigger shower that should comfortably fit two people at the same time — there’s even a bathtub. Hugh’s gonna love this; Paul knows how much he missed having one.

He turns his back on the bathroom and sees that Hugh has returned to the center of the living room, looking delighted like a child on his birthday. “So, what do you say?” Paul asks him with a smile, walking over to join him.

“I love this place. It’s perfect. It… feels just right, for a new start.”

“Then we’ll let Saru know we’ll be taking it as soon as possible.”

Hugh nods, and Paul sends the message from the console on the wall right away. The confirmation is almost instantaneous. He turns around with an even wider smile.

“It’s done. We officially live here now.”

Hugh is beaming at him. They meet in the middle of the room again, and Hugh actually takes both of Paul’s hands in his. The warmth of their contact sinks into his skin, and beyond, to a much deeper place. He remembers that it was only a few days ago that he was sure he would never feel Hugh’s touch again. But then again, nine hundred and thirty years have also passed since then.

“It’s really huge, too,” Hugh remarks. “With the furniture out of the way like this, you could actually dance in here.”

Paul chuckles. “True. I guess we’ve got a lot of packing and moving ahead of us today.”

“I can’t wait to get started, though.” Hugh smiles down at their hands, squeezes them slightly. His expression is as soft as his voice when he looks up into Paul’s eyes. “I’m really, truly excited for this, Paul. I’m also scared, because I can’t guarantee that everything will be perfect and just fine right away. I’ve only just begun to get used to this new body and new life, and reconciling everything with my memories from the old one. I think… I think I’ve also been avoiding you because I was afraid of messing this up — us. That I might fail you. But the possibility of losing you forever gave me the courage to want to try again. I want to relearn how to be with you. And I hope that, together, we can figure out how to do that.”

 _This is it,_ Paul thinks. _This honesty, this openness, this… love. This is at the core of us._ He knows what Hugh is talking about, what worries him. He didn’t understand it when Hugh first came back from the dead, and that was his failure. But he does now. He thinks about Hugh’s words from earlier, and they bring back a memory from long ago.

“Do you remember our date at the rooftop bar?”

“The one where we danced?”

Paul nods. “The evening of our second date. The summer night air was mild, the drinks were strong. You were wearing a tank top that was making me lose my mind whenever I looked at you.”

Hugh laughs. “Yeah. That might have been strategically intentional.”

Paul lowers his eyes and chuckles. “I _knew_ it.” He starts moving their joined hands a bit. “That was the first time we got… close.”

“ _Very_ close.” Hugh seems to remember the following events of that evening just as clearly and fondly as he is.

“And it started with that dance. Dancing taught us how to be together.” He lifts his gaze to meet Hugh’s eyes. “Dance with me again?” He tilts his head playfully. “For science?”

Hugh laughs softly, but he lifts Paul’s hands and takes the lead. The dance is nothing like the one back then; it’s a classic, slow waltz, not unlike the way Paul danced in the middle of a busy Discovery hallway with Michael Burnham hundreds of years ago; and again there is no music to guide them, but the rhythm they find themselves following is their own, and it simply works, just like it always has.

“Paul?” Hugh finally says, after the time that passed has lost its meaning.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

It feels right to stop now, and there’s no regret at the moment ending, because it has served its purpose for now, and they are ready to take their next step.

“We should go and get our things,” Paul says with a smile.

“Do you need help with yours? You just got released, maybe you should still take it easy…”

“I’ve had an excellent doctor taking care of me, so I’m sure I’m in perfectly good shape. But if you like, we can both help each other.”

Hugh hesitates for a moment and Paul briefly wonders if he’s still worried about his health or if he might be having reservations about Paul seeing his solo living quarters. But the moment passes and he just smiles and responds, “I would like that very much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone else dreaming of a futuristic utopia of stress-free apartment hunting?  
> Originally this was supposed to just be about them dancing, but then the new quarters thing snuck in. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much to everyone who leaves lovely and supportive comments on my fics! Even if I usually don't know how to adequately respond to them, please be assured that they make me super happy and brighten my day! <3


End file.
